Cooling off in the city

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Fountains provide relief in the city when it is hot. They are often iconic pieces of art that are meaningful to an urban landscape. Even better, they are great spots to capture people enjoying summer in Boston. - Leanne Burden Seidel and Lisa Tuite

Ulrike Welsch/ Globe Staff

June 8,1976: Viewed through the fountain at Boston's Prudential Center, Maryanne Szeto and Jonathan Smith cooled their feet as the temperature climbed to 93 degrees, and tied a 26-year-old record.

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July 13,1973: The water fountain on the bikeway in Charles River Park in Watertown was enjoyed in a bike drive-through by Carol Vincent (left), Judy Murphy (center) and Eileen St. Onge, all of Watertown.

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August 4, 1977: Lena Croft, eight years old cooled off at the Brewer Fountain on Boston Common. The bronze fountain, cast in Paris, was a gift to the city by Gardner Brewer. In the dry-goods business, Brewer accumulated a fortune which, at his death, was estimated at several million dollars. Shortly before his death, he gave this fountain to the city. It worked for the first time on June 3, 1868.

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September 16, 1992: "Dolphins of the Sea" a bronze sculpture by the noted sculptor Katharine Lane Weems was completed for the New England Aquarium when Weems was 80 years old and was the first work of art to be placed on permanent display in the waterfront renewal project.